My Messy House (Otherwise titled: Pictures because Amanda insisted I post these)

We moved! And we have been unpacking all week...making great chaos and big messes. But we are here and we are loving all the space in this house. Pictures have been requested. These are very rough and show the chaos of our life this week. I took these last night so no pics of the kids' rooms or outside. But you get the idea. Enjoy!

Master bedroom...planning on using a gift card for new bedding that will match the paint and curtains. (I asked for all window treatments in this house.)

Master bath...and yes, I have already used this tub a few times!

Bonus room upstairs...future organized school room

From the family room looking toward the dining room and front door

From the dining room looking into the family room

Kitchen. My other kitchen was TINY! So I am loving this. (There are cabinets and counter tops not visible in this picture. I asked the sellers for that fridge as well.)

Standing at one end of the house (beside the master bedroom) and looking all the way down the hall past the family room, dining room, and kitchen. Two of the kids rooms and a bathroom are down there.

Personal Experiences Meme

Got this one from Alicia. It's pretty easy. Just copy and paste and hightlight the ones you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis (I leave this kind of thing to Mary Evelyn.)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Been there, but it was being renovated and we couldn't get to the top.)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (No, but Jason does a great "Born to Be Wild." He's not your typical CPA.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (no thanks, Jason does this enough for the both of us)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (Not a soup kitchen, but my BIL's homesless ministry a few times)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (Just once and I was mortified.)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (wow...that's a little humbling to admit)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I Can't Wait to be a Teacher Again!

It's almost Thanksgiving! And I feel a little like I am missing it this year. We move in just ONE week. The boxes are mostly packed, the loan has been approved, inspections have been completed, repairs have been made, and lists have been made (all sorts of lists to keep me half way organized and sane during this transition!).

What is not happening is school. Not totally true. We have stayed semi-caught up with the three R's. But we had a wonderful start to our year with My Father's World and that has taken quite the back seat since about September. I am so very thankful that in just one week, I will get to unpack those boxes labeled "school room." I will put the books on the shelf, set up an art and writing center, and hang the map back up on the wall. I will once again have ROUTINE!

I really am so excited about starting back. I really miss the way we were doing school before that "for sale" sign went up just 5 weeks ago. I enjoyed snuggling on the couch reading about the animals in the rainforest and then looking at the AMAZING drawings my girls made with their colored pencils to illustrate what they had learned. (Not bragging but my girls can flat out draw...Betsie too.) I know it may actually be January before our routine is solid again. The holidays, unpacking, and a trip to Disney World will throw us for a little bit of a loop. Still, those things are more blessings and I look forward to them with a happy heart.

So maybe I am not missing out on Thanksgiving. We aren't celebrating it in our usual way with decorations and stories of the pilgrims and Squanto, but I am truly thankful and feeling quite blessed. God has been so kind to me and I praise Him for His goodness.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday